In this week’s episode, we discuss Prizzi’s Honor (1985), the penultimate film directed by the late, great (friend of the show) John Huston. It stars Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner as two mob assassins in an unorthodox relationship.

The film was well received at the time and garnered 8 Oscar nominations, with Anjelica Huston winning for Best Supporting Actress.

*Spoilers* – We did not enjoy this film very much.

Timestamps 

What We’ve Been Watching (00:00:53)

Andy – School of Rock, Geowizard – Attempting to cross Scotland in a completely straight line, Real Kashmir FC, The Pembrokeshire Murders

Donnchadh – A United Kingdom, Batman Begins, Mare of Easttown Finale, The Man Who Would Be King.

This Week’s Film:

Prizzi’s Honor (00:25:55)

Coin Toss (01:04:00)

 Links

Instagram -

@callitfriendopodcast

@munnywales

@andyjayritchie

Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links

https://www.justwatch.com

Lawrence Tierney – One Big Teddy Bear

https://youtu.be/T2ohXTtJP7A

Geowizard - Attempting to cross Scotland in a completely straight line

https://youtu.be/SiyGdOHobsY

In this week’s episode, we discuss The Devils (1971). The film is partly based on Aldous Huxley’s non-fiction novel The Devils of Loudun (1952). It stars Oliver Reed as Father Urbain Grandier, a womanising priest accused of heresy.

The Devils is often considered director Ken Russell’s finest work. However, one notable critic of the film was Roger Ebert, who wrote a scathing zero-star review.

Timestamps 

What We’ve Been Watching (00:00:53)

Andy – Broadchurch Season 1, Long Way Up, Altered States

Donnchadh – Mare of Easttown, The Gentlemen, This Time with Alan Partridge, The Wire Season 2

This Week’s Film:

The Devils (00:16:40)

Coin Toss (01:12:45)

 Links

Instagram -

@callitfriendopodcast

@munnywales

@andyjayritchie

Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links

https://www.justwatch.com

Oliver Reed drunk on Aspel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boeX9KtSvUA

Due to a series of recording mishaps, and Donnchadh's debilitating intravenous drug habit, we have been unable to complete an episode for this week.

We will return next Monday with our discussion of Ken Russell's 1971 film, The Devils.

In this week’s episode, we discuss West Side Story (1961). The film is an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name created by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. Based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the musical tells the story of Maria and Tony, two young lovers from opposing sides of a gang conflict between two New York City gangs, the Sharks and the Jets. The film went on to win 10 Academy awards including Best Picture and a remake, directed by Steven Spielberg, is due to be released in December 2021.

Timestamps 

What We’ve Been Watching/Reading (00:00:53)

Andy – Invincible, The Coddling of the American Mind

Donnchadh – Thor: The Dark World, Catastrophe, Hitch-22

This Week’s Film:

West Side Story (00:11:18)

Coin Toss (00:55:43)

 Links

Instagram -

@callitfriendopodcast

@munnywales

@andyjayritchie

Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links

https://www.justwatch.com

In this week’s episode, we discuss Crash, the controversial 1996 David Cronenberg sex fest. The film, which caused a media uproar in several countries, depicts a group of characters who engage in a car crash fetish. Despite mixed reactions from critics, the film did win a Special Jury Prize at Cannes, much to the chagrin of jury president Francis Ford Coppola.

Timestamps 

What We’ve Been Watching/Playing (00:00:55)

Donnchadh – ZeroZeroZero, For All Mankind, Sharp Objects, Line of Duty, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, Judas and the Black Messiah

Andy – Line of Duty, Mythic Quest, The Last of Us Part 2

This Week’s Film:

Crash (00:21:20)

Coin Toss (01:11:10)

 Links

Instagram -

@callitfriendopodcast

@munnywales

@andyjayritchie

Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links

https://www.justwatch.com

Viggo Mortensen & David Cronenberg on CRASH

https://youtu.be/f5r9Xi7OZ1w

This week, we discuss Alejandro González Iñárritu’s 2010 film Biutiful, starring Javier Bardem. The film, a fairly grim tale, bridges the gap between the Death trilogy (Amores Perros, 21 Grams & Babel) and what came after (Birdman & The Revenant). Despite a mixed critical reception, the film received 2 Oscar nominations for Best Actor and Best Foreign Language Film.

***

The podcast has a new format. From now on, we will only be discussing the film which wins the coin toss. If you would like to recommend a film for us to watch, please follow us on Instagram (@callitfriendopodcast) and send us a DM.

 ***

Timestamps

Listener Question (00:01:15)

What was Peckinpah trying to say about women in his film Straw Dogs (1971)? (Includes spoilers)

What We’ve Been Watching (00:09:20)

Donnchadh – Sing Street, Back to The Future, ZeroZeroZero, For All Mankind, Sharp Objects

This Week’s Film:

Biutiful (00:12:30)

Coin Toss (00:56:32)

 Links

Instagram -

@callitfriendopodcast

@munnywales

@andyjayritchie

Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links

https://www.justwatch.com

This week we discuss two films from American screenwriter and director Michael Mann.

The first is Blackhat (2015), starring Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, as a blackhat hacker named Hathaway. The film, Mann’s most recent, was a giant financial flop.

The second is Collateral (2004), starring Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise. An LA cabbie unwillingly drives an assassin around the city as he bumps off witnesses and key players in a cartel court case.

Timestamps

What We’ve Been Watching/Playing (00:01:00)

Andy – Hernán, The Last of Us Part 2

Donnchadh – The Shape of Water, Logan, Assault on Precinct 13, Jack Reacher, The Morning Show

Blackhat (00:10:00)

Collateral (00:49:50)

 Links

Instagram -

@callitfriendopodcast

@munnywales

@andyjayritchie

Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links

https://www.justwatch.com

Collateral - Alleyway shootout breakdown

https://youtu.be/fEZeb5lKPkk

Wicked Wisdom and Will Smith rocking out

https://youtu.be/X6xVQvWxfSA

This week we discuss two critically acclaimed mafia films from one of cinema’s greats, Martin Scorsese.

The first is The Irishman (2019), starring Robert De Niro, as mob hitman Frank Sheeran, and Al Pacino, as teamster president Jimmy Hoffa. The film, the budget of which allegedly spiralled to around the $250 million mark, was eventually acquired by Netflix and earned 10 Oscar nominations.

The second is Casino (1995), starring Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci as Vegas mob men. This film, which was based on the real-life exploits of Lefty Rosenthal and Tony Spilotro, was somewhat overshadowed by another Scorsese mafia film released only a few years earlier, Goodfellas.

Timestamps

What We’ve Been Watching (00:01:00)

Andy – Hernán

Donnchadh – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Thor, Mission Impossible: Fallout, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Unforgotten Season 1, El Patrón, Iron Man 3

The Irishman (00:11:50)

Casino (00:51:00)

 Links

Instagram -

@callitfriendopodcast

@munnywales

@andyjayritchie

Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links

https://www.justwatch.com

This week we discuss three films which are linked thematically to Crime and Punishment.

The first and second are both versions of Insomnia. The (1997) original, directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg and starring Stellan Skarsgård, depicts a detective who is wracked with guilt after crossing a series of moral lines, leading to an extreme bout of insomnia.

Christopher Nolan’s (2002) remake, starring Al Pacino and Robin Williams, see events relocated to Alaska and Nolan approaching the source material from a completely different angle.

The third is Pickpocket (1959), a character study of a criminal, written and directed by Robert Bresson. The film is hailed as among Bresson’s finest work.

Timestamps

What We’ve Been Watching (00:01:05)

Andy – Unforgotten Season 4, Happy Valley Season 1, The Night Of, Falcon and Winter Soldier Ep. 3

Donnchadh – Falcon and Winter Soldier Ep. 3, Halloween, Halloween 2, Good Boys, Room, Prom Night, Bridge of Spies, The Pembrokeshire Murders

Insomnia (00:16:06)

Pickpocket (00:43:30)

 Links

Instagram -

@callitfriendopodcast

@munnywales

@andyjayritchie

Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links

https://www.justwatch.com

This week we discuss two films which were screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973.

The first is Touki Bouki (1973), a Senegalese drama directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty. The film was restored in 2008 thanks to Martin Scorsese and the World Cinema Foundation.

The second is Scarecrow (1973), starring Al Pacino and Gene Hackman. The film, although a box office bomb, shared the Grand Prix at Cannes.

Timestamps

What We’ve Been Watching (00:01:00)

Andy – Save Me, The Comedy Store, Baby Driver

Donnchadh – Happy Valley, I Care A Lot, Night of The Living Dead, The Red Shoes, Iron Man 2

Touki Bouki (00:14:45)

Scarecrow (00:35:00)

 Links

Instagram -

@callitfriendopodcast

@munnywales

@andyjayritchie

Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links

https://www.justwatch.com